See Marketing & Communications

11/09/2026

I don’t need to be an engineer, accountant or lawyer like you to create an effective bridge to your future clients.

Across my 20+ year marketing career, I’ve worked extensively with professional services firms. They often put enormous energy into explaining why they’re technically better than the one down the road... but it’s rarely why someone chooses them.

Most people look for other signals to feel confident they won’t regret choosing you. That’s where the perspective of a senior marketer like me gives you competitive clout.

✳️ Impactful marketing is not an operational output. It’s a strategic input.

It helps identify market potential and close the gap between the value you create and the people willing to pay for it.

That’s why framing your view of marketing around a tactic like social media is self-limiting. It’s the equivalent of making accounts payable the leading edge of your finance function. When all your marketing conversations revolve around content, collateral and events, I can almost guarantee you’re leaving opportunity on the table.

If it’s time to evolve your marketing, ask me for a catch-up in Wayville, Leigh Street or online to learn how I can unlock hidden potential to help you achieve your business goals.

20/08/2026

At a recent SA Business Chamber event at P1 Entertainment, I jumped at the chance to go-kart.

I needed a booster seat to reach the pedals and was wearing stiletto ankle boots, but I had a blast and managed to clock the third-fastest lap.

I’ve always been self-competitive. While it was fun to race others, it was the chance to push myself to my limit and improve on every lap that I found exhilarating.

As I approached every corner, I remember consciously thinking: “How fast can I go while still feeling in control enough?”

The result didn’t matter as much as what I learned in achieving it.

I’ll mark 10 years in business next month. I don’t care about awards, recognition or status, and I haven’t planned a celebration. Instead, achievement is something I assess against myself: am I proud of the professional impact I’m making, and am I challenging myself to sit at the edge of discomfort so I can keep growing and help others do the same?

I’m a ‘Maverick’ in the Predictive Index, a person who naturally challenges the status quo, helps others see risks as opportunities, and looks past systemic formality and structures that can keep businesses distracted and small.

So when I approach marketing for my clients, the last thing I think about is what they should post on social media.

The first thing is finding hidden opportunities and shifting behaviours, beliefs and assumptions to offload distractions and unlock genuine progress.

Running a business can be really uncomfortable and hard sometimes. And when it is, I remind myself of that saying: no pressure, no diamonds.

Tania

14/08/2026

Congratulations to all the finalists in the recent SA Climate Leaders Awards.

I had the opportunity to work with the DEW team to help tell the stories behind this year’s finalists, sharing the impact of their initiatives and innovations through the project boards displayed on the night.

People are doing some truly amazing things across South Australia to protect our environment and, ultimately, our way of life.

A meaningful project to be part of.

17/07/2026

Opinion: I have no desire to add an AI label to my professional headline on LinkedIn.

My accountant doesn’t market themselves as Excel-enabled. My lawyer doesn’t lead with the software she uses to research case law. My builder doesn’t attach his identity to a best-in-class drywall stud finder.

It might sound like an oversimplified comparison, but AI really is just a tool. An exceptionally transformational one, but a tool nonetheless.

I assume the professionals I work with use effective tools to do their jobs well. But training, judgement, curiosity and experience is why I choose them.

The same applies to AI in marketing. I use it where it is useful and question what it gives me. I immediately know when it lacks depth or value, and even though I prompt like a veritable pro, it can be inconsistent, overly agreeable and forgettably ‘meh’.

Yes, I use AI daily. Could I use it more? Undoubtedly. Do I want to emphasise it? Not particularly. I understand why others do and don’t judge them for it. It’s a sign of the times and arguably an opportunity.

I know AI could feasibly take over parts of my job or replace me entirely one day. But I’m not concerned about a broker using AI to develop a B2B marketing strategy. Knowledge isn’t judgement.

Take this post. Writing it was fun and my brain is happy. But most of your feed doesn’t sound anything like this because LLMs are working overtime. Again, no judgement, but I'd much rather read something real.

If the landscape changes and no one wants to be distinctive in their marketing anymore, I get to take my brain and ideas with me to the next thing. I’d like to think, though, that I’ll still be working with the kind of leaders I work with now: those who value authenticity, originality and deep expertise.

Companies that see marketing as a strategic investment that can help them zig when everyone else zags will always find value in working with someone like me. Others who see marketing as a cost to manage and reduce its value to visible output might be satisfied enough by the AI version of marketing and less expert hands.

How about you? Are you seeing AI affect the way people in your industry are positioning themselves too?

03/07/2026

A lovely surprise bumping into the smiling face of Infinite Woman creator, McLeod Thanks to BNI A Team for welcoming me as a guest, representing Ralph Ayoub of DSRPT who is visiting clients in Queensland this week.

30/06/2026

30/06/2026

This financial year felt like a recalibration. In a few months, I’ll arrive at a milestone I can hardly believe – 10 years in business.

So I decided to spend the last month of financial year ending 2026 on a daily interruption adventure, which I called “The Look Up Project.”

Happy EOFY everyone. 🥂Here’s to remembering to lift our gaze to the horizon.

29/06/2026

Sometimes, great communication IS about smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand.

I heard communication expert Gary Edwards speak at a Vistage Group this month, and he literally had a few tricks up his sleeve to help us think about the notion of influence.

I've had a reasonably interesting career path but meeting a former courtroom lawyer, hostage negotiator, corporate magician and communication expert made me rethink my definition.

Here were some of my key takeaways:

➤ We're all in the belief business. What is true is what we believe to be true. I'm a big advocate of this in marketing: if you're not regularly finding out how clients, referrers and your market see you, how do you know it's the same as how you want them to?

➤ The way you answer the question, "Why should I buy YOUR services?" shouldn't be anything other than: "... if you believe it's in your best interests to choose us." Or as Gary also put it: "... if you believe you'd be mad not to."

➤ Understand the Trust Equation. Trust = (credibility + reliability + intimacy) / self-interest. In short, the more self-interested you are, the more you undermine everything else you have going for you.

And at the end, Gary asked us to sum up what we learned from the session:

"Beliefs drive behaviours. Yours, mine, ours. By creating a space of trust, we can shape how we work together and create the right environment to help people understand why they'd be mad not to work with us."

Even out of context, I think it still carries meaning. And it earned me the company of the owl on the day.

Thanks to Keith Brooks for bringing us another fantastic presenter, and to Rebekah Tucker, for hosting the day and giving us a deep insight into Sandler Training Australia and New Zealand, the local arm of one of the most respected Sales training organisations world-wide.

Gary, I appreciated both your substance and style. I have no idea how you did any of the tricks, and I'm glad. Wonder and mystery are, for me, among life's greatest joys.

15/06/2026

Quick one... if you have a blog, article or client update languishing on your list because you think you’re the only person who can write it, think again.

Today, I adapted a large document into a short newspaper editorial piece for a commercial law firm. My client made ZERO changes.

That's typical, not the exception.

For the better part of 20 years, I’ve been translating technical know-how into articles, blogs, and corporate communications for accountants, consultants, lawyers, engineers, medical researchers, entomologists and other professionals.

I specialise in B2B services marketing and communications, and I cut my marketing teeth in a chartered accounting firm. Working for nearly a dozen partners across multiple service lines was quite the training ground. Each had their own preferences, audiences, and ideas of what success looked like.

And before you think, “it’ll be too hard to explain, it’s just easier to do it myself”, I can work with surprisingly little:

• a list of short bullet points
• a report, proposal or presentation
• a rambly voice note you’ve dictated into your phone

If the only thing holding you back is the belief that someone without your knowledge can’t help you, this is your sign to check that self-limiting belief at the door. Unless you’d rather that article spend another six months on your to-do list?

PS. Yes, you can use AI. I use it too, and it absolutely speeds things up. But, like any tool, the end result is better in the hands of someone who can write perfectly well without it.

09/06/2026

The struggle is real at business events.

I’m fortunate to only have a gluten intolerance, but many of my coeliac friends don’t eat at business events because the cross-contamination risk just isn’t worth it.

For example:

▫️Gluten-free food should be wrapped
▫️Shared tongs are a big no-no
▫️Fruit/veggies/nuts don’t contain gluten
▫️Rice, potato and most chocolate is fine
▫️Wheat, barley, rye are the culprits. They hide in b**r, sauces like soy which are thickened with ‘cornflours’ (usually finely milled wheat), bread, crackers, and baked goods including cakes, pastries and donuts.

Bread aside, there are great GF substitutes for most of these things.

Most caterers and venues have this in hand, but if you’re self-catering, please read up so everyone feels included.

Gluten-free usually isn’t a lifestyle choice (I mean, have you tried gluten-free bread??). For some, it’s a medical necessity.